


Ghost

by lukewarmCappuccino (Rainekitty)



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Gen, Ghosts, Haunting, Sadstuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-02
Updated: 2016-08-02
Packaged: 2018-07-28 23:58:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7662196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainekitty/pseuds/lukewarmCappuccino
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Karkat never believed in ghosts, never believed in ouija boards. Not until he died anyways.  This fic is a sort of Johnkat and it's sad as heck. I am sorry/not sorry at all. This is a word vomit and it's not very good so... -shrugs- Might do more with it in the future, might not. Will see.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ghost

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MyFakeNameIsCee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyFakeNameIsCee/gifts).



Waking up to your best friend crying over your dead body doesn’t happen every day.  In fact, it only happened once if ever.  Karkat floated over his carcas on the hospital bed and watched as John sat in the plastic chair and held his  limp pale hand . Least it used to be his hand, he couldn’t feel the touch.  He was pretty sure it was cold, after all, that’s what he assumed dead people felt like. He wouldn’t know.  The twelve-year-old hovered with a frown on his face, circling around John without even moving his body. He just wanted to see everything and it seemed his body listened to his every thought.  It was a strange sensation at least, least he thought he was feeling it. The floating just happened as if by instinct.

He looked down at his hands, bringing them up. They were transparent, he could see right through them, even if they were a tint of blue. He wondered if he was like one of those cartoon ghosts with a tail and no legs, curling up to examine himself. No, he had his legs, just no contact with the floor. He wondered if he could even --Yeah, he could stand on the floor as he floated down and landed gently on the linoleum tiling. 

So was this the end then? Wasn’t he supposed to go to some kind of heaven or hell or whatever? He didn’t know  and shrugged to no one in particular. He followed John home when they boy finally left,  leaving his body where it lay behind. He wasn’t in it anymore and he doubted he could get back in. If John had been there crying who knew how long he had been like this, hours maybe. They hadn’t moved his body yet after all. 

John didn’t even notice him  following after him like a lost puppy , just going about his day.  Karkat had left so many of his things over at Johns. Countless clothing, toys, videogames, even the occasional toothbrush. He watched John as he put all of Karkat’s things in a box and tried not to cry.  Karkat wanted to tell him he was right there.  John would tell his dad later he was fine, but Karkat had seen those tears. He wanted to console his friend  or throw something across the room to tell John how stupid he was being.  He was powerless to do so. 

He could wait and watch, floating  as his body was lowered into the ground. He glanced at  his best friend, frowning since John was crying. Karkat looked over at his parents and brother. They stood there stiff as boards, doing their best not to cry. His mother was the first to break down in tears. He wanted to say something, anything to make it okay. He had never seen his mom cry, not even when he was first diagnosed. Karkat rubbed his head, sighing a bit. At least when dead he had hair. He wondered if his corpse had a wig on or something, but would floating down to check be wrong? It was his body after all, not like it would be disrespectful. He floated down, checking. Yeah, that was a wig on his pale bony body. He was just glad he didn’t feel weak like this. Maybe it was a reward from whoever decided he would be a ghost.

Karkat sighed a breathless sigh, following John home. He didn’t feel haunting his family was the right thing to do, so instead he followed John. John went about his days as usual. A bit gloomier than he remembered, but what was he going to expect? His best friend was dead and neither boy had that many friend to begin with. Karkat supposed he didn’t have any, not anymore. Ghosts couldn’t have friends. 

As the years rolled by, Karkat learned. He learned he could go just about anywhere, that he wasn’t the only ghost. Although, he certainly was the youngest for miles. He didn’t go very far, in fact, it seemed like wherever John went, he went as well, willing or not. Karkat guessed that’s what haunting was. It was like he had a rope around his waist and was constantly tugged with John. John aged, growing and changing, and all though he was dead, Karkat changed too. He had figured out a while back he could will himself to any age, and he willed himself to always be 2 months younger than John. He supposed it was sort of like living, not really. He didn’t need to breathe, to eat….to sleep. He just was.

Before he knew it, John was having his sixteenth birthday party and Karkat sang along even if no one could hear him. John seemed to be forgetting about him it seemed, making new friends in high school and moving on with his life. It was that which made Karkat angry. His box of things had been moved up to the attic, and John never looked at them anymore, nor talked about him. It was like he forgot Karkat ever existed

A lamp smashed against the wall and Karkat stared at it just as slack-jawed as John. 

_ Had...he done that?  _

He watched as John went to get a broom and dustpan to clean up. Karkat just floated there, watching. He knocked over a book next, and another. Before long the entire bookshelf was on the floor. John was looking right at him, or well...through him. But at least he was being seen again. Not really, but it was something. He got more reckless as time passed, glad  _ someone _ was noticing him again, even if it was out of fear. Even if he could touch objects now, John was still out of reach. It seemed he could only interact with things that were never alive to begin with, or also deceased. 

He shouldn’t have thrown the thanksgiving turkey on the ceiling. John’s grandma had shrieked and fainted from a heart attack. Karkat was grimacing as the family filed out to take her to the hospital. She lived, but he still felt bad about it. He didn’t touch anything else for months. Just because he was able to touch things, didn’t mean he should. He just silently followed John around, trying to live a life he was never given. He was content like that, and he wouldn’t mind doing that until...Until what? 

He didn’t know until Rose came. John had gotten a girlfriend, and she looked right at him moment she walked through John’s door and told him the house was haunted. John just laughed her off and led her to his bedroom. Karkat crossed his arms and floated up the stairs. John and Rose talked for a while before John leant into Rose and kissed her.  They then did something that caused his eyes to widen since he did not want to see  _ that _ and he flew to the other side of the house. 

Still, whatever Rose was to John, she was in his life for now and Karkat couldn’t do anything about it. He sat upside down on the ceiling, just watching the two of them play cards when Rose glanced up and put her cards down. 

“You know your house is haunted right?”  
“Don’t be ridiculous.” John shifted on the bed, leaning over Rose and going in for a kiss. Karkat felt a bolt of anger go through him as he tossed a baseball at the two of them, hitting John in the back. John sat frozen, inches away from Rose as she tilted her head up to look at Karkat again. Karkat just put his hands up. He narrowed his eyes, giving her the double birdie and she just shook her head, looking back at John. It was like she had seen him do so and despite the fact it was a petty action, at least it was some form of communication with **someone.** He did not like the girl.

Apparently, she didn’t like him either, as she brought an ouija board the next day, along with some of her friends. Karkat smirked, refusing to partake. Fuck her and her know it all stupid bitch ass fu- He didn’t get to finish that thought as he was pulled down to the ouija board and his hands forced onto the dial. Oh dear god no. He gave a panicked look at the girl who was only smiling.

“Are you with us?” He wasn’t going to move it, he was going to ignore it and pretend he wasn’t there. He moved the dial to yes, almost like he was forced to answer. He tried to pull his hands away, but it felt like he glued them to the little thing.

“Do you haunt this house?”

No. _ Well, he wasn’t. Just John. _

“Do you haunt anyone in this room?”

Yes. _ This board was evil. If he could set fire to it he would. _

Rose smirked and looked at John. “I told you, you’re haunted.” She looked back down. 

“Ask it a question.” It. He was called an it. He glared at Rose, who was blatantly ignoring his reaction at this point. Stupid ghost seer can go jump off a cliff. No wit...bad idea. Then the pale blonde witch would join him in limbo hell.  _ No. Fucking. Thank you. _

“Ask its name.” John looked across at Rose, who repeated the question. No, no. Karkat refused to answer the question. He did all he could to keep the dial still, but all it did was slow it down as it gracefully moved to the K.

“K-a-r-k-a-t. Karkat.” John flung himself from the board, eyes wide. “John? What’s wrong?” Rose asked him in a concerned voice, her hands leaving the dial. Lucky them, Karkat still had his hands superglued to it.

“Karkat’s dead. He’s been dead a long time.”

“John...Who’s Karkat?” If Karkat had a heartbeat, he was sure his would be beating rapidly right now. John knew. He couldn’t see him but he knew. Karkat wanted to scream at Rose, but ghosts didn’t have words. He could cuss her out all he wanted, but not a single syllable would leave his throat. He wanted to break something, smash it, and he just wanted Rose to go away.

“John?”

“Sorry, he was my best friend when we were kids. I thought I had forgotten all about him.” The lightbulbs in the room exploded at that.  Karkat didn’t even know he could get that angry.

_ How dare he? How dare John forget who he was after everything? They had grown up together, played together. Even in death, Karkat was by his side. And John...John just forgot.  _

“Shit.”

Karkat found his hands free and he looked down at the board. Someone had closed it, screaming about it being cursed. Karkat rolled his eyes. It wasn’t cursed, but it sure was legit. He could hardly believe John forgot, after everything. He knew then he had to make John pay. Everywhere the brunette went, Karkat followed. Either untying his shoelaces to make him trip, or have something break. 

It was petty revenge but after that? John had left him behind. Not only that, he had a  _ new _ best friend, someone named Dave. He tormented Dave as well. It wasn’t until John’s senior year in high school that the teen even admitted Karkat was still there.

“Alright, I get it. You’re angry. I don’t know what for, but you have to fucking stop acting nine! You’re dead, and I’m not. So fucking move on and stop making my life hell.” Move on? How could he? How dare… Rose came in from behind, and he hadn’t even noticed. He was going to throw a book at John but just held it in his hand, no doubt John merely saw it as a floating dictionary.

“Karkat, he’s right. You have to move on. You’ve been around what? A decade? You’re holding onto John because you’re bitter he left you alone and kept living his life. I know you’re lonely but think about others...Think about John.”

The book fell to the ground. She was right, Rose was right. “I can’t.” Karkat was shocked to find his voice. Was Rose even able to hear him? John wasn’t, John was over where the book fell and picking it up. Rose just kept looking at him. He lowered himself to the floor, and her eyes followed. “I didn’t want to be alone. I’ve been forgotten and I can’t stand that.”

“He didn’t forget you, he told me. He just missed you so much he blanked out the memories. It hurts to loose someone you care about.”

“It hurts being forgotten.”  
“I doubt he could ever forget you after all those years haunting him.” Karkat chuckled, crying a bit. Ghosts didn’t cry so why was he? He looked around the room, noticing the candles now. They were so warm, and he couldn’t help but feel content with them. 

“It’s an exorcism.”    


“A what?”   


“Usually, it’s used by priests to banish ghosts and demons, but this one? It’ll help you move on.”   


“I...Okay. I didn’t understand that but okay.” Karkat was feeling sleepy, just wiping away his tears. “Just...when I’m gone, make sure he doesn’t forget me alright?”   


“Okay.”

“You have to promise.”

“I promise I won’t let John forget you.” John looked over after putting the book away, walking right through Karkat.    


“We’ll both remember you, even if she only met you recently, we’ll remember.”

Karkat nodded, letting the warmth fill him. He didn’t want to go, but he knew that wherever he went he would see John and Rose again someday. “Thank you…” Karkat shut his eyes and let the light that seemed to be surrounding him take him away.

It wasn’t for another 70 years that he saw John again. An old man on a hospital bed, children and grandchildren surrounding his bed and crying. It wasn’t for another ten minutes that he felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around. The old man was gone, and before him stood the 12-year-old he had fallen in love with. Karkat smiled, shifting his form to match and hugged the other.    


“Let’s go home.” John smiled as he held Karkat who was downright beaming. 

“Heh, I thought you didn’t like ghosts.”

“Nah, I loved ghostbusters. They kept making sequels and remakes.”

“That movie was horrible.” Karkat laughed, wiping away stray tears.

“Bullshit.” John laughed, slinging his arm around Karkat’s waist. Karkat grinned, moving with John.

“Whatever happened with Rose?”

“Didn’t work out. You see all those people? Jade and Jake’s kids.”

“Oh...thought you two…”

  
“Nah...come on, I have so much to tell you. Just...don’t throw anything at me this time when you feel emotional okay?”  


“Okay.” Karkat led John into the warmth of the light, glad to be reunited with his friend. 

**Author's Note:**

> A somewhat old fic that I never really posted, just had to get out of my system. It wasn't betad so please forgive any mistakes. This is a sort of drabble so please excuse it.


End file.
